Techniques for repairing damaged or diseased tissue are widespread in medicine. Wound closure devices, such as sutures and staples, as well as other repair devices like mesh or patch reinforcements, are frequently used for repair.
There has been a trend to reduce, for example, hernia mesh weight and stiffness as a means to reduce post operative complications and pain. A light weight mesh has a soft and pliant nature which conforms and flexes with movement of tissue. However, the reduction of mesh weight may make it hard to use, handle, and unfold the mesh during implantation, especially in a wet environment. Kinks and folds in the mesh are not acceptable, as they can create dead-spaces allowing seromas and fistulas to develop which can get infected, cause implant failure, and may cause a disease state to recur.
Coatings have been applied to medical devices to impart lubricious and/or anti-adhesive properties and serve as depots for bioactive agent release. However, these coatings do not improve the handling characteristics of meshes.
Improved coatings for meshes thus remain desirable.